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Persons Dying in Hospital.—Ministry of Health Circular 13/49,
dated 1st March, clarified the position as regards the responsibility
of the Hospital Management Committees and Boards of Governors
of Teaching Hospitals, for the burial of patients dying in hospital.
Local authorities were advised by the Minister that these Hospital
Committees and Boards had powers to arrange and pay for burials
in certain circumstances, and that they had been asked to exercise
these powers in the case of—
(a) Deceased patients whose relatives cannot be traced;
(b) Those whose relatives are traceable, but were not,
immediately before the patient's death, liable for his
maintenance under Section 42 (1) of the National
Assistance Act and are not willing to arrange for the
burial; and
(c) Those whose relatives are unable to obtain a death
grant under the National Insurance Act, 1946, and
cannot otherwise afford to arrange for burial.
National Insurance Act, 1946: Death Grant Scheme.—Claims
for payment of a proportion of the death grant, under the Death
Grant Scheme, which have been made by the Council in appropriate
cases, have been dealt with expeditiously by the Ministry of National
Insurance, who have given every assistance possible to the Department,
whenever it has been necessary to seek their co-operation.
RODENT CONTROL.
Rodent control methods approved by the Ministry of Agriculture
and Fisheries have been adopted in this Borough, with
encouraging results.
The systematic survey scheme commenced in September, 1948,
was completed during the year, and the following statistical summary
includes the final figures as regards that survey and the
treatment carried out.